Misogyny in the Lutheran Church

Misogyny in the Lutheran Church

I used to believe in God.

At least, I think I did. I probably believed about as much as any young child can, which isn’t much. I believed God was real only because the trustworthy sources in my life told me he was real. But when I was around ten, I shed my faith, and it was replaced with doubts, which ultimately won over when I was about twenty.

It’s easy to come to the conclusion that Noah’s Ark is just a little too far-fetched to be true, or to think that you really can’t make a baby with just a “holy spirit”. But there were a few things that I was taught in church and throughout my conservative Lutheran upbringing that took a lot longer to get rid of.

Even when I didn’t explicitly believe in “sin,” I thought that being gay was kind of unnatural. More-so, and for a much longer time, I thought abortion was murder and that you didn’t have to believe in God to think so. Thankfully, I now believe in both marriage equality and a woman’s right to choose. I believe in equality as a human right, to the furthest extent in which I believe that human rights exist.

In the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, women have never been allowed to be pastors. They never have been, and they probably never will be. I’ve always been so used to the fact that I’ve barely noticed it, either before or after I left the church (mentally and then physically). This tradition, specifically, was so ingrained in my mind that years ago (I was already an atheist), when my husband first told me that his old United Methodist Church’s pastor was a “she,” I had the entirely subconscious thought of: “Oh… well then… they must not be as ‘True’ and ‘Biblical’ a church as the LCMS.”

That’s the scariest part about indoctrination. Half of your beliefs are subconscious. You don’t even know you have them until you catch yourself unintentionally thinking vile things. I had never truly given this idea the light of day until I saw this run-of-the-mill tweet from the LCMS last week:

It stopped me in my tracks. For some reason, this tweet was what finally got me to shed that last layer of apathy in regards to the teachings of my former religion.

Allow me to say again what I’d always—always—heard, but never questioned until literally last week:

Women are not allowed to be pastors.

In the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, women are not allowed the same opportunities as men. There is a job—one of the highest jobs one can hold—that can only be held by a man.

In my experience in the church, I never witnessed any kind of huge revolt or even unrest about this from women. I don’t know of anyone who had a burning desire to become a pastor but who was prohibited because she happened to have been born with a different set of gametes. I believe that this is because it’s so deeply rooted in their culture that it just sounds insane to even see it as unfair. And I know that anyone who’s lived this way their entire life would agree. But I don’t care.

It’s baseless discrimination. The injustice is self-evident.

After my epiphany of how revolting and archaic this rule is, I went on a quest. I wanted to know what possible reason this church could put forth that justifies this style of governance. I knew it probably wouldn’t satisfy me, but I wanted to know under what circumstances did these men think this was a normal or ethical way to run a church in the twenty-first century.

I found a variety of sources from the church and its members, but this document seems to be the most official record of their beliefs on women’s ordination. It’s from the LCMS’s official page on their beliefs, and specifically from their “What About?” series.

Primarily, the document uses the following Bible verses to tell us “What God says about women serving in the pastoral office”:

“As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silence in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate, as even the law says …what I am writing to you is a command of the Lord” (1 Cor. 14:33–34, 37).

“Let a woman learn in silence with all submissiveness. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to keep silent” (1 Tim. 2:11–12).

“The saying is sure: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Now an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife…” (1 Tim. 3:1–2).

“This is why I left you in Crete … that you might appoint elders in every town as I directed you, if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife…” (Titus 1:5–6).

Personally, I think it’s hilarious that they used these verses to justify their position. That’s because these are the kinds of verses that I always see atheists using to try to win an argument with a Christian, especially a female one. It’s the kind of verse you see on a Girl Defined video along with a comment saying, “See? The bible says you’re not supposed to talk! Or haven’t you read it?” Then the Christians say something about how you ought to interpret it in such a way that you don’t need to follow it.

But the LCMS, in all its misogynistic glory, will shamelessly exclaim “Women should keep silent!” from the rooftops. The rest of the article is essentially the cop-out that “We do not tell God that His gift is not good enough for us, or that we don’t like the form in which He has given the gift,” and “We must leave the answers to these questions to God. We remain with what has been given to us by God in His Word.”

This article, fifty pages longer than the first, does have a lot more details on the “role” of women in the bible and within the LCMS. On page 32, the interpretation of the aforementioned verses comes up. It makes sense that the writer(s) had a hard time understanding 1 Corinthians 14:33-34 (“As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silence in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate, as even the law says”) in light of 1 Corinthians 11:5 (“But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved”), as Chapter 11 seems to permit women to pray and prophesy, and Chapter 14 commands her to keep silent.

I’m not a scholar, but I don’t think that Chapter 11 is explicitly saying anything about a woman’s permission to speak, especially about her permission to be a pastor, but rather whether or not her head should be covered. (The author’s response to the head-covering rules are, by the way, essentially “We don’t do that anymore.”) Either way, it somehow throws a wrench into the idea that women should always be silent.

The article spends some time trying to translate which version of the word “speak” was originally used, but they eventually come to the conclusion that “Full clarity perhaps is not possible,” and all we know for sure is that women are not being commanded “absolute, unqualified silence,” only that “they [should] not take charge of the public worship service, specifically the teaching-learning aspects of the service.”

It just seems way too convenient to me that even when there is some contradiction and fuzzy interpretation of these verses, and when women can sometimes speak and sometimes not, the only thing that God Almighty Himself made absolutely clear to us is that women cannot be pastors. At least that’s what we, the male writers of all of these documents, and we, the male pastors, made of the writing from the bible’s male authors. It only makes sense that we, the men, should have every position of real power within the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. We’re sure the women agree.

21 thoughts on “Misogyny in the Lutheran Church

  • November 3, 2019 at 8:30 am
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    Really interesting post Rebekah!
    I am from a family of Churches called New Frontiers. They believe that Eldership (defined as fathering the church) is a male only role. They use all the same verses as you mention here and also bring it back to Genesis where man is before women and is called to ‘lead’ in being first.
    The New Frontiers family of churches is currently going through a massive crisis as there is an entire generation of females missing from their churches, because they were unable to fulfil the calling that they believe God has given them and left.
    These days New Frontiers churches are setting up ‘Leadership Groups’ which consist of Male and Female leaders within the church, as well as the male eldership, and together they lead the church.
    But it still come down to the male eldership to discipline, oversee and protect the flock.
    Can people not see that the Bible is set within a completely different time to the one we find ourselves in now? Can they not see that the Biblical standards and morals have gone and that we need to live today in light of what we know today, rather than in the shadow of what we knew yesterday?
    If we don’t move, we stagnate. I hate to say it, but the Bible simply isn’t the final word on standards and morality.

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  • November 3, 2019 at 11:17 am
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    “It’s baseless discrimination.”
    Indeed, it is.
    “The injustice is self-evident.”
    No, sorry. It is not at all evident to many people. So it cannot be self-evident.
    I suppose we could blame it all on Paul, since it is usually supported by reference to his epistles. But, to be fair to Paul, he was just going by the common cultural practice of his time.
    That’s conservatism. Insist on living by ancient tradition, and consider those traditions to be absolute truth rather than cultural traditions. By contrast, liberal Christianity (that’s theologically liberal) recognizes that traditions come from culture, and is willing to change them.
    This is the absurdity that we see in Christianity. Most churches are conservative. Christianity ought to be a liberal religion. Christianity had its beginnings with the throwing out of many Judaic traditions. But now they have gone all conservative (and all absurd).

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  • November 3, 2019 at 7:45 pm
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    I’m afraid the misogyny you speak if is minor compared to the kind that would prevent woman to do what they deem is right for their own bodies. And this is not just within the church you speak about.
    As for your last sentence, I don’t believe the Bible is even the first word on morality.

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    • November 3, 2019 at 10:15 pm
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      Oh, unfortunately I know… don’t worry, this church has that too. http://lcms.org/Document.fdoc?src=lcm&id=1101
      I also found, through perusing their “What About?” series, that they have their very own conversion therapy “ministry”. And it groups gay people, trans people, and pedophiles all together….

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  • November 4, 2019 at 1:08 am
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    My first experience with a female pastor was in a friend’s Episcopalian church. Since I was Catholic, I have an even more firm past in such things.
    What I found most interesting in this post was your comment about not being aware of our past programming. It alerts me to try to be aware of old beliefs that I may still unknowingly carry. It is like disagreeing with my own thoughts. 🙂

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    • November 9, 2019 at 3:14 pm
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      yep, that childhood indoctrination stays with you. It’s surprising just how much we really believed, and even after you see the differences, a part of you still wants the dubious comfort of the ‘old way.”

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  • November 6, 2019 at 9:07 am
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    I read this article and thought it might be worth sharing on this blog. She writes about the Carl Sagan book “The Demon Haunted World” and points to the chapter; The Fine Art of Baloney Detection. I’ll throw it in here and maybe it doesn’t have much to do with your topic of misogyny or maybe it does??
    https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-baloney-detection-kit-carl-sagan-s-rules-for-bullshit-busting-and-critical-thinking?utm_source=pocket-newtab

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  • November 8, 2019 at 8:17 pm
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    A fascinating topic. During my last meeting with my Lutheran friends, I broached the subject of sexism in the Bible and was hooted down for even mentioning such a thing. Then I mentioned, Asherah, the female deity that ancient Israelites worshipped alongside Yahweh. Well, the outcry was instantaneous. “Whoa, what have you been reading? No, no, no…a fertility cult. Nothing to do with God!” They refused to broach the topic.
    Just as the Bible was used to justify and defend slavery in the nineteenth century south, it is still used to justify and defend sexism in the millennium. During the presidential election of 2016, preachers down here practically chanted the verse out of Timothy that woman should not have “authority” over man, which of course meant–don’t vote for Hilary.

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  • November 27, 2019 at 8:40 pm
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    My church body has been ordaining women for 50 years and we STILL have to have this argument over and over and over. Congregations will still refuse to call pastors who are women. We just passed a lengthy social statement (a document that guides the ways in which we as church engage social issues) on gender justice, and there was a lot of outcry from some corners of the church. The misogyny is very, very real 😪.

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  • January 2, 2020 at 6:13 pm
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    Thanks for writing this. As someone who comes from another denomination (Catholicism) that doesn’t ordain women priests, I was curious to read the LCMS point of view (misogynistic as it sounds).
    I wonder what makes the dynamics with Catholic laity so different from LCMS laity on this issue, though? The majority of Catholics in the states favor ordaining women as priests, I’m pretty sure, and I’m slowly becoming more active in an organization advocating for woman priests. It sounds like it’s a much different story with LCMS laity though.

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  • January 8, 2020 at 2:52 pm
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    Lcms:. Breeds ignorance. Male chauvinist. I am not a feminist. But their teachings make women second class. I detest the synod.

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  • February 15, 2021 at 3:36 pm
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    LCMS is highly misogynistic. If you are a woman your goal in life should be to raise good little lutherans and BTW do Not question the man who is the preacher in the pulpit because he knows what is best for you. You are not as high in IQ points as the man In the pulpit. You will never be as good or perfect as that man in the pulpit. It’s a shame because you were born a woman and should not question the men in missouri either about making decisions about what is best for you as a woman.

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  • February 16, 2021 at 5:13 am
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    Another piece to LCMS I wish to add is if you are a woman who has had children outside of wedlock the powers that be will harass you and show you the error of your ways I have seen this done to various young women. I knew of a woman who had a child in high school they punished her unmercifully but the father of the child was not. Women are worth nothing except to breed new lutherans – women are sinners and men protect each other. And those pastors are so arrogant and full of themselves. I am glad to see that the LCMS is losing members. I hope it fails. Misogyny is a real problem in lutheran religion. They do not believe in women nor people in general thinking for themselves.

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    • February 16, 2021 at 9:49 am
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      YES, absolutely. And it’s not like they would have accepted her getting an abortion either. You might like my other older post “Why Church is a Scam” where I talked about the LCMS president whining that he was upset that women were getting education instead of making him more Lutherans that would like his pockets when they grow up.
      https://sheseeksnonfiction.blog/2018/06/17/why-church-is-a-scam/

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      • February 16, 2021 at 10:05 am
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        Don’t forget shaming the woman publicly. That is what lutherans do. They did that in the past and they still do that today! They make them go to special classes and read bible verses. I know of several women who had this happen to them. Also there are women who are just as bad as the men in the congregation and they harass and gang up on the woman who is seen as being “wicked”. It’s bad. I think the current president is a male chauvinist. And it is definitely a magnification of the “good ol boy network” at it’s finest. I also know of scandals just as bad as the Roman Catholic Church has with their priests. The women who go along with this crap in the misery synod can be just as cruel as the men. I went to LCMS schools I don’t think much of them. I believe they control information . I know for a time they used to actually EXCOMMUNICATE PARISHIONERS THEY (THEIR BOARDS) DEEMED AS EVIL. I met a homosexual man who was excommunicated because he told me his “lifestyle”. And yes he told me he was a homosexual and that’s why they excommunicated him. I know many others. Please look up institutionalized mobbing in the LCMS. There are more articles coming out about that phenomenon. And PASTORS ARE WRITING ABOUT THIS PERVASIVE PROBLEM IN THE LCMS. There was a major walk out in 1974 in Missouri. They walked out because there was a liberal pastor who was open about what he thought he was terrorized out of his position. This goes on too. I wish in the USA they would acknowledge mobbing as a real problem. This is a sign people do not think for themselves they have to have a group tell them what to think. And in turn the group harasses those who are “different” from the brainwashed masses.

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      • February 16, 2021 at 10:13 am
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        I continuously tell people that the LCMS is all about the men. It is male dominated and women are looked at as stupid. They are not considered to be thinking nor intelligent at all. And also the women in the LCMS if they do go along with the LCMS as being the epitome of good Christian they BULLY AND RUN DOWN OTHER WOMEN WHO DO NOT THINK LIKE THE IDIOT MINISTER /LCMS BOARD OF ELDERS WANT THEM TO THINK.
        Btw Rebecca I applaud you and I think that is GREAT that YOU think for yourself about the LCMS. I believe you 100%. I honestly thought the LCMS is a cult back when I was in school and I knew that there was something very wrong with it when I was a kid I just couldn’t understand “what” was wrong with it back th n. LCMS and the wels treat women like garbage. They are only for being controlled by men and breeding more LCMS/wels lutherans. I am not surprised that that pig in charge of the LCMS stated that about wanting women to not be educated. Education means you think for yourself and don’t need a man like “him” . Breed more LCMS Lutherans. Waste your God given life for that crap. No wonder the LCMS is tanking.

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    • February 17, 2021 at 12:25 am
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      I don’t know much about the Lutheran church, but what you have related is pretty much prevalent across all branches of the corporation.

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  • June 2, 2022 at 2:17 pm
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    Sexist microaggressions in my LCMS church:

    1) pastor coming into women’s restroom while I’m in there, I say “you are in the wrong place” he ignores me and just asks me to look for paper towels in there, and stays in there. Doesn’t apologize until I complain to the secretary later.
    2) he winks a lot and teases me, and others
    3) he says “they are only lay people” about some congregants.
    4) another woman and I complain it’s cold, he said “the women think it’s cold, the men don’t”. whaaa??

    Silly stuff, but it shows a general disregard for women, including me. Just, no.

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    • June 2, 2022 at 11:09 pm
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      Oh my gosh that’s awful! Some LCMS pastors really are a different breed.

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      • August 3, 2022 at 8:38 pm
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        I married a member of the LCMS and attended with him until I realized how paternalistic and misogynistic this church is. I firmly believe the LCMS is a cult. He has left and is now a member of the ELCA now and I have nothing to do with anything Lutheran.
        The LC knows the power that women have in our ability to procreate. This is exactly why the men who are in charge can never allow women to gain authority. Women have to believe their most important mission is to fill their pews with children. They do not want women having careers and educations. Women have to maintain low self esteem and let the men control them. Any women with a healthy self esteem would leave this cult and I hope they do in droves. Women own a powerful ability to not have children and the men in power in the LCMS realizes just what would happen if women just go on strike. The men couldn’t even manage a pot luck!

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  • June 9, 2024 at 11:54 pm
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    What about the temples that only allow one sex to enter? I bet you would defend the temples that prohibit men from entering. What about society patronising women and not taking men’s issues seriously? Perhaps pastor isn’t a desirable job, so that’s why women don’t mind being ineligible.

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What do you think?